We hadn't met since military service. He recognized me immediately when I walked into the business lounge at Ben Gurion Airport. It took me a few seconds to remember. We sat down to talk, and it turns out he is also traveling to the destination I'm traveling to. We arranged to sit and have coffee together the next evening.
The conversation at the café flowed easily; we brought up memories from our days of military service and talked about our families.
“You should know I follow you,” he said. “I know you have a law office in the city with local partners and that you are on the road a lot. I've been thinking for a long time about getting in touch and trying to meet for coffee.”
“Thank you,” I replied. “What brings you here?”
“I have an apartment here, so at least once a month I come to see what's going on with it,” he replied.
We moved to the hotel bar, and after we had a few drinks he opened his heart. He told me he had come for a weekend with friends, fell in love with the city, and started coming to the city once every few months. He started meeting people, and met Maria. Since then, every time he comes to the city he spends his time with her. After about a year of frequent trips he bought a new apartment in a project built by an Israeli developer, and now he also had an excuse to come to the city more often. “You understand, there's an apartment that needs handling, renting, paying taxes, fixing - that's how I can explain to my wife why I travel so frequently...”
I understood.
Some people buy an apartment abroad to create an additional source of income for themselves, some see themselves as real estate investors, and for some the apartment is just an excuse... and you...?
Stories are based on real situations, with identifying details changed. Not legal advice.
Translated from the Hebrew original. עברית